In the fitting-out of internal spaces, wood surfaces, in particular wood veneers, are often used on cladding, furniture, or the like. The coating here is intended firstly to improve the appearance of the surface and secondly to provide protection, for example from mechanical stresses. In particular instances, this type of coating also has the function of improving fire protection.
By way of example, when furniture or cladding is installed into the interior of an aircraft there is a need to comply with fire-performance requirements under air traffic legislation. A component of this type is subjected, for example, to a Bunsen burner fire test with 60 s of exposure to a flame at a temperature of 860° C. Extinguishment of the component must occur within 15 s after the end of flame application. The distance between the point of flame application and the most distant point burnt by the flame on the surface of the specimen is not permitted to be more than 155 mm (FAA CS 25.853 (a)).
From public prior use, it is known that wood can be provided with flame-retardant impregnation. A disadvantage here is that this type of impregnation can discolor the wood and sometimes acts as plasticizer within a clearcoat layer subsequently applied. There can also be impairment of adhesion of a coating layer on the impregnated surface. It is also known from public prior use that clearcoat can be provided with chemical fire-protection compositions. Here again, a disadvantage is that discoloration of the wood surface can occur, and that the flame retardants can have an undesirable plasticizing effect.